January 2014 Briefing - Hematology & Oncology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology &amp; Oncology for January 2014. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Deal Could Trade Tort Reform for Additional Health Reform

FRIDAY, Jan. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians may be willing to make a trade in accepting some additional health reform efforts in exchange for tort reform, according to an article published in the January issue of Health Affairs.

FRIDAY, Jan. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, independent of the use of biologic therapy, according to research published in the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Agent Orange (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin) exposure is associated with increased incidence of nonmelanotic invasive skin cancer, according to research published in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Health care personnel should consider their clinical attire, such as white lab coats, carefully with regards to risk of transmitting infection, according to guidelines published in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Changes in mental and emotional well-being occur in prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), according to research published in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Urology.

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Many physicians in non-solo practice settings are paid using different methods, with just over half receiving all or most of their compensation from salary, according to a report from the American Medical Association.

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although physicians generally use smartphones rather than tablets for professional purposes, they are more likely to read articles from medical publications and access medically oriented webcasts/podcasts on tablets, according to the results of a survey conducted by Kantar Media.

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- With the influx of newly insured patients under the Affordable Care Act, physician practices should be prepared to spend even more time verifying coverage, according to an article published Jan. 2 in Medical Economics.

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A framework has been established to advance clinical learning environments that promote change in the quality and safety of care, according to a perspective piece published online Jan. 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For breast cancer survivors, a 12-week yoga intervention improves fatigue and vitality and is associated with reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Supplementation with vitamin D to prevent disease does not appear to improve health outcomes, according to research published online Jan. 24 in The Lancet: Diabetes &amp; Endocrinology.

Abstract (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70212-2/abstract )Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70212-2/fulltext )Editorial (subscription or payment may be required) (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(14)70008-7/fulltext )

MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are physically active after a cancer diagnosis have significantly improved survival, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Physical Activity &amp; Health.

MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The top ten challenges for physicians in 2014 relate to payment for medical services and government mandates, as well as adapting to a changing patient population and the need to improve work-life balance, according to an article published Dec. 25 in Medical Economics.

MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- When compared with peers without a history of cancer, children with cancer do not appear to have increased posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), according to research published online Jan. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More people are being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, but this is largely the result of declines in mortality from other causes, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Readings of computed tomography (CT) breast density are consistent with mammography readings and have greater interobserver agreement, according to a study published in the January issue of Radiology.

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- African-American patients undergoing hemodialysis who carry hemoglobinopathy traits such as sickle cell trait require higher doses of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) than patients without these traits, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Ultrasound devices represent an important point-of-care diagnostic modality, which is increasingly being used in numerous specialties, according to an editorial published in the December issue of Global Heart.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://www.globalheart-journal.com/article/S2211-8160(13)00171-3/fulltext )

Medical Staff Performance Goals Should Be Clear, Attainable

THURSDAY, Jan. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Staff performance in medical practices needs to be appropriately managed and measured with performance goals, according to an article published Dec. 25 in Medical Economics.

THURSDAY, Jan. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Additional predictors, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density and extent of cancer on biopsy, help guide selection of prostate cancer patients for active surveillance programs, according to research published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology.

THURSDAY, Jan. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Few dermatology patients engage in skin cancer screening behaviors, and most have poor knowledge about melanoma, with lower understanding among minority patients, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The question of whether to stop publishing research funded by the drug industry is addressed in a head-to-head piece published online Jan. 15 in BMJ.

Full Text (http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g171 )

ALA: Much More Must Be Done to Lower Smoking Rates

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- State inaction and tobacco industry tactics are slowing tobacco control efforts in the United States, a new report from the American Lung Association (ALA) finds.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Two diagnostic panels based on microRNA expression from whole blood can distinguish, to some degree, patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy controls, according to a study published in the Jan. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Abstract (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1817797#Abstract )Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1817797 )Editorial (subscription or payment may be required) (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1817771 )

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The rationale behind the decision making processes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is discussed in three articles published in the Jan. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

MONDAY, Jan. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In contrast to a recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) among high-risk individuals.

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Believing that they are delivering high-quality patient care is key to physician job satisfaction, according to an article published Dec. 10 in Medical Economics.

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For older women, increased sedentary time is associated with increased mortality risk after multivariate adjustment, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The likelihood of unplanned admission is increased with polypharmacy, but the association is modified by the number of long-term conditions, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A community pharmacy-based medication synchronization program can improve medication adherence, according to a study conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

MONDAY, Jan. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A campaign to encourage physicians to disclose potential conflicts of interest has sparked ire from doctors despite evidence that openness improves the doctor-patient relationship, according to a personal view piece published online Jan. 15 in BMJ.

Full Text (http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g167 )

One-Fifth of Hospitalizations in Advanced GI Cancer Avoidable

FRIDAY, Jan. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, about 20 percent of hospitalizations are potentially avoidable, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Health insurance exchanges in five states with strong enrollment growth are ramping up efforts to reach even more uninsured Americans before the end of the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment period on March 31. The March 31 deadline is for people who want health coverage for 2014.

THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A reliable set of emotion words have been identified that can serve as a tool for experience-based design questionnaires in health care, according to a study published in the December issue of Healthcare.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recommending that physicians stop prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per tablet, according to a safety alert issued by the agency.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to some phthalates has fallen over the last decade and may be associated with bans on their use, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients who have undergone curative surgery for primary colorectal cancer, intensive monitoring is associated with increased surgical treatment of recurrence compared with minimum follow-up, but does not reduce the number of deaths, according to a study published in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There's still time to enroll in a health insurance plan through one of the Affordable Care Act's new online marketplaces. Those who sign up by Wednesday will have coverage starting next month.

TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 2.2 million Americans had selected health plans through the federal and state marketplaces as of late December, and nearly one in four was a young adult, the Obama administration disclosed Monday.

MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A proposed rule has been issued that will strengthen protections, improve health care quality, and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries with private Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription plans, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS).

MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase the risk for prostate cancer later in life, according to an experimental study published online Jan. 1 in Endocrinology.

MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- From 2005 to 2009, the incidence of lung cancer decreased among men and women in the United States, according to a study published in the Jan. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Mekinist for use with another drug, Tafinlar, to treat advanced melanoma that is metastatic or unresectable.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The results of a new survey show that physicians are concerned about declining reimbursements and increasing administrative hassles, including negotiating with payers, obtaining prior authorizations, and cutting through government red tape, according to an article published Nov. 25 in Medical Economics.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The gene expression profile of sentinel lymph nodes and how it affects immune response may be a marker for prognosis in melanoma, according to research published in the Jan. 1 issue of Cancer Research.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Overall national health expenditures were marked by a fourth consecutive year of low growth, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Having at least one woman on teams that convene scientific symposia increases the proportion of invited female speakers by 72 percent, compared with teams containing all men, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in mBio.

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In an effort to improve health care and eliminate wasteful practices, the American College of Physicians (ACP) has developed a series of High Value Care cases studies, available online for free.

More Information (http://hvc.acponline.org )

Guideline Adherence Cuts Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women

THURSDAY, Jan. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- All-cause and cancer-specific mortality is lower in postmenopausal women who follow the American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Cancer Prevention Guidelines, according to research published in the January issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

THURSDAY, Jan. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the preferred choice over mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for nonpharmacologic management of insomnia in patients with cancer, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and coexisting conditions, combining an anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab or obinutuzumab) with chemotherapy is associated with improved outcomes, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Many general internists are unfamiliar with care guidelines for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) and, on average, are somewhat uncomfortable caring for these patients, according to a study published in the Jan. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1811026 )Editorial (subscription or payment may be required) (http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1811030 )

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Compared with 2006 to 2007, smoking rates among health care professionals for 2010 to 2011 continue to be lowest in physicians and highest in licensed practical nurses (LPNs), according to a research letter published in the Jan. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on tobacco control.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1812944 )

Review Suggests Psychological Benefits of Meditation

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Moderate evidence suggests that meditation is associated with improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Jan. 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Abstract (http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1809754#Abstract )Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1809754 )Editorial (subscription or payment may be required) (http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1809753 )

U.S. Cancer Death Rates Decreasing Steadily

TUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer death rates have been decreasing steadily for the past two decades, with the magnitude of the decrease varying with age, race, and sex, according to a report published online Jan. 7 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1792913 )

Unrestricted Hospital Visiting Hours Up Patient Satisfaction

MONDAY, Jan. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Open visitation improves the patient and family experience and does not cause interference for hospital staff, according to research published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.

MONDAY, Jan. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the repeal of Medicare's failed sustained growth formula, and the proposed roll-out of the International Classification of Diseases, Version 10, top the list of federal issues expected to impact physicians and patients in 2014, according to a viewpoint piece published online Dec. 30 by the American Medical Association (AMA).

FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- One hundred twenty-three new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have been formed by doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, which will provide access to high-quality coordinated care for about 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The International Bladder Cancer Group (IBCG) has proposed a new definition of progression in nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer that is clinically useful for determining prognosis and comparing treatment options, according to research published in the January issue of The Journal of Urology.

FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Most women with unilateral non-metastasized breast cancer treated with breast conserving surgery or mastectomy with axillary surgery experience postoperative pain at 12 months, according to a research letter published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1810368 )

Impact of Transitions in Doctors' Careers Discussed

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Transitions and their associated challenges are encountered throughout a doctors' medical career, according to an editorial published online Nov. 26 in BMJ.

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) (http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f7086 )

CDC: Updated Guidance for HBV Vaccination for Health Workers

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Health care personnel should be vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) if they anticipate exposure to blood or body fluids, and receive serologic testing to assess for antibody against the virus, according to updated guidelines published in the Dec. 20 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Despite a looming physician shortage, the number of residency positions in the United States has not changed since 1996, creating a bottleneck that will become worse with further budget cuts, according to a blog post published Dec. 7 on KevinMD.com.

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with colorectal cancer, satisfaction with quality of care is associated with survival, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality.

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The deadline for making changes to Medicare participation status has been extended to Jan. 31, 2014, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA).

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.